Sri Bhagavat Sandarbha (Volume I)

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This first volume of the Bhagavat-sandarbha includes the first 60 Anucchedas of the work. First, there is discussion of how the Absolute Truth is manifested in three features; as Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Next is a discussion of the various potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, including the potency that manifests the living entities.

It is proven beyond doubt that the Supreme Lord is always the absolute controller of all His potencies, and that there is no question of Him coming under their control, especially under the control of the external energy, known as maya.

In the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, chapter one, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami writes: Sri Rupa Gosvami's newphew, Srila Jiva Gosvami, has compiled so many books on devotional service that there is no counting them. In Sri Bhagavata-sandarbha, Srila Jiva Gosvami has written conclusively about the ultimate end of devotional service.

Back of the Book

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada wrote: "The Bhagavata-sandarbha is also known as the Sat-sandarbha. In the first part, called Tattva-sandarbha, it is proved that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most authoritative evidence directly pointing to the Absolute Truth. The second Sandarbha, called Bhagavat-sandarbha, draws a distinction between impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma and describes the spiritual world and the domination of the mode of goodness devoid of contamination by the other two material modes. In other words, there is a vivid description of the transcendental position known as suddha-sattva.

The subject matter of the Bhagavat-sandarbha is very clearly expressed in the very first verse of the text: in the previous (Tattva) Sandarbha I have described in a general way the nature of the non-dual Absolute Truth and the eternal distinction between that Absolute and the individual living entities, who are naturally the servants and worshipers of the Absolute. Now I shall describe some of the variegated features of the Absolute. The Absolute is known in three features, called Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. This is described in the following statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11): Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan.

In the Krsna-sandarbha, second-to-last text, the nature of all six sandarbhas as explained: The description of sambandha (the relationship between the individual living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead), which was begun in the Tattva-sandarbha, and continued in the Bhagavat-sandarbha is now concluded in this (Srimad-bhakti-sandarbha), I shall describe abhidheya (devotional service, or the activities of the relationship between the individual living entities and the Supreme Lord) and in the last book (Priti-sandarbha), I shall describe prayojana (pure love for Krsna, the result of engaging in the activities of devotional service).

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada wrote: "The Bhagavata-sandarbha is also known as the Sat-sandarbha. In the first part, called Tattva-sandarbha, it is proved that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most authoritative evidence directly pointing to the Absolute Truth. The second Sandarbha, called Bhagavat-sandarbha, draws a distinction between impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma and describes the spiritual world and the domination of the mode of goodness devoid of contamination by the other two material modes. In other words, there is a vivid description of the transcendental position known as suddha-sattva

"Material goodness is apt to be contaminated by the other two material qualities-ignorance and passion-but when one is situated in the suddha-sattva position, there is no chance for such contamination. It is a spiritual platform of pure goodness. The potency of the Supreme Lord and the living entity is also described, and there is a description of the inconceivable energies and varieties of energies of the Lord. The potencies are divided into categories-internal, external, personal, marginal, and so forth. There are also discussions of the eternality of Deity worship, the omnipotence of the Deity, His all-pervasiveness, His giving shelter to everyone, His subtle and gross potencies, His personal manifestations, His expressions of form, quality and pastimes, His personal manifestations, His expression of form, quality and pastimes, His transcendental position, and His complete form. It is also stated that everything pertaining to the Absolute has the same potency, and that the spiritual world, the associates in the spiritual world, and the threefold energies of the Lord in the spiritual world, are all transcendental. There are further discussions concerning the difference between the impersonal Brahman and the Personality of Godhead, the fullness of the Personality of Godhead, the objective of all Vedic knowledge, the personal potencies of the Lord, and the Personality of Godhead as the original author of Vedic knowledge."

This first volume of the Bhagavat-sandarbha includes the first 60 Anucchedas of the work. First, there is discussion of how the Absolute Truth is manifested in three features; as Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Next is a discussion of the various potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, including the potency that manifests the living entities. It is proven beyond doubt that the Supreme Lord is always the absolute controller of all His potencies, and that there is no question of Him coming under their control, especially under the control of the external energy, known as maya. The potency of maya is described at great length, and the Supreme Lord's existence beyond the jurisdiction of maya is firmly established. Then there is a discussion of the qualities and opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the multifarious forms of the Supreme Lord. In this regard, it is proven that the Lord is simultaneously both localized and all-pervading. Although these two are apparently contradictory, it is explained that the Lord's supreme position reconciles all such contradictory qualities. Next is an elaborate discussion of how the Lord's form is fully transcendental, that the Lord's form, appearance in this world as an incarnation, or anything else about Him are transformations of the external energy, maya, is conclusively refuted. There is also a lengthy discussion of the name and form of the Lord, giving examples of how the Vedic literature simultaneously emphasizes that the Lord is without name and form, and that the Lord has transcendental names and forms. The undisputable conclusion is that the Lord's names and forms are fully transcendental, and are never to be compared to the names and forms of the conditioned souls.

As would be expected, Kusakratha Prabhu has given us a wonderfully detailed and poetic translation of this great philosophical treatise. His untiring and undeviating devotion to the Lord are imbued throughout the entire work, and for this reason it has been a great pleasure for me to prepare it for publishing.